Jason Segel Electrifies 'The End of the Tour'

Director: James Ponsoldt
Genre: Drama
Starring: Jason Segel, Jesse Eisenberg, Joan Cusack
Distributed by: A24 Films
Release Date: July 31, 2015
My Rating: 9/10

What do you get when you mix genius, eccentricity, awkwardness, and unadulterated wit? Authenticity. That's what Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg bring to this simple yet incredibly revelatory retelling of the last five days of the book tour for Infinite Jest, acclaimed author David Foster Wallace's masterpiece, upon its release in 1996.

After becoming dazzled by just the opening paragraph, Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (Eisenberg) begs his editor (Ron Livingston) to grant him the opportunity to interview Wallace, a writer Lipsky believes "only comes around once or twice in a lifetime." Throughout this extended interview, Lipsky delves into the strange and brilliant mind of (then) 34-year-old Wallace, a Harvard graduate.

In his first major dramatic role, Jason Segel is nothing short of electrifying. He sheds his mantle of adopting well-known, doofy, well-meaning, and oddly relatable (if anything because of their shortcomings) characters like Marshall Eriksen from How I Met Your Mother or Peter from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and immerses himself into the body of an eccentric and humble novelist and English professor whose caution and skepticism are matched only by his brutal yet unobtrusive sincerity. As David Wallace, Segel explains the story underlying his bandana and his two dogs-Wallace's two greatest hyperactive, attention-seeking companion's-but in a manner that does not border on superfluous justification.

Jesse Eisenberg is just as honest in his portrayal of Lipsky and shows his determination to extract the truth, even if it signifies triggering defensive responses from his subject. Eisenberg intersperses many of his lines with short, awkward chuckles that can only be attributed to Lipsky's nervousness and awe at being in the presence of Wallace, often times alone. The 90s are given a brief yet noticeable shout-out, from flannel shirts and big antenna-donning phones, to a four-person-group car-ride sing-a-long to a then-popular Alanis Morissette song. Wallace clearly tries to remain relatively removed from the world at large out of fear of becoming a celebrity of whom the public will hold unattainably high expectations, even though he eventually realizes that he can learn from others nearly as much as others learn from him. (Isn't it ironic? Don't you think? That's not the Alanis song, by the way)

I'm not entirely sure if David Wallace was more renown when he was alive or after his untimely demise by suicide, but one thing is certain: this film captures the essence of the man during one of the highest points of his career.

In 'Top Five,' Chris Rock Raises Spicy Questions

 Director: Chris Rock (also writer)
Genre: Comedy
Starring: Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, Gabrielle Union, J.B. Smoove, Cedric the Entertainer
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: December 12, 2014
My Rating: 8.5/10

I truly appreciate it when a movie comes along that makes fun of its own cliches and eviscerates sociological and pop-culture stereotypes. That is exactly what comedian Chris Rock creates in this outrageous new take on a dilemma faced by a myriad of modern-day comedians and blockbuster franchise Hollywood stars alike.

Veteran comedian Andre Allen (Rock) has been adored by millions for both his stand-up routines and his portrayal of Hammy the Bear, an action-comedy trilogy centered on a policeman who dons a bear costume. (Yes, you read that correctly) Mr. Rock does not even attempt to subdue what seems to be his opinion that contemporary comedies have become characterized by doltish premises. However, Andre has grown weary of being associated exclusively as Hammy every time he walks the streets of his home in New York City, and attempts to venture into more dramatic territory by starring in a historical film entitled 'Uprize' about the Haitian Revolution against the European conquerers. Much like Michael Keaton's character in Birdman, Rock's Andre Allen struggles to make the transition into 'more meaningful' cinema and in the process of gradually jettisoning his franchise-film persona, is lambasted by sarcastic critics including one in particular, James Nielsen from the New York Times.

As the premier of 'Uprize' approaches, along with Andre's nuptials to a beautiful reality TV-star named Erica Long (Union), New York Times profile writer Chelsea Brown (Dawson) interviews the comedy star in an attempt to learn more about his origin story, including his past scandals involving alcoholism.

The script is rife with raunchy humor, with doses of explicit nudity and a crop of cameos, some of which will markedly change your perception of other well-known comedians (cough cough, Jerry Seinfeld) who play unfiltered, uncensored versions of themselves. Mr. Rock also repeatedly points toward the nonsensical and galling ways in which the media strives to unilaterally determine what is considered 'funny and appropriate.' One scene in which Andre is asked to announce himself on a morning radio show says it all: he is asked by the host to repeat the same line in at least three or four different tones until it's 'really funny,' which leads to a clearly-exasperated Andre to end up delivering the line in a sarcastic tone and replacing many of the words with expletives, to which the host replies: 'Ok, let's just keep the first take.'

Much like Mr. Rock's real-life stand-up persona, Andre Allen has very little filter, is sardonic and goes straight for the jugular, expressing confusion and pointing about the absurdity of sociological double-standards that still pervade the world today. When asked on another radio talk show about whether he is concerned that a white audience will be outraged by his character's massacre of white slave-owners, Allen nonchalantly responds that George Bush veritably killed millions of brown people and nobody said anything, while he 'fake-kills' whites in his movie and that there shouldn't be a problem with that either. The superficiality of reality TV stars and the public's obsession with their programs is also touched upon, as Gabrielle Union's Erica is depicted as a glamorous, mink-scarf-donning modern-day Marilyn Monroe of sorts, except without, as she herself states, any talents.

Rosario Dawson also honestly and fiercely plays off Rock's character with her own surprisingly sharp and witty retorts. One of the aspects of this comedy I most appreciated and that set it aside from others of its kind was its scarce churning of one-liners that induces a chuckle for one minute and is quickly forgotten the next as the plot moves onto another scenario. Instead, Top Five raises thought-provoking questions in a manner that is far from preachy. The name of the film stems from a list several characters, including Andre's relatives, create of their five favorite hip-hop artists, with a sixth thrown into the mix, because apparently, there is a whole sea of worthy rappers. Although it is clear that Andre Allen's ultimate goal is to be remembered by the public as more than just a dawdling cop in a bear costume and to someday make that 'top five' list for actors, the fact that he does not explicitly state this desire (and neither does anyone else) is a relief.